Alejandro Mancera Canchola was apprehended in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States the U.S. Marshals Service on June 15, 2026. He was wanted on a charge of attempted first-degree murder following a horrific domestic assault that occurred nearly two years ago in LaFollette, Tennessee, USA.
Alejandro Mancera Canchola
The charges against Canchola stem from a violent incident on December 17, 2024. That day, he went to the home of his girlfriend on South Avenue in LaFollette. The two shared a baby.
In a brutal attack, Canchola attempted to kill the woman by slashing her throat from ear to ear. During the assault, the knife blade broke off inside the victim’s neck.
As Canchola went to retrieve a second blade to finish the act, he chillingly confessed to the victim that he had previously murdered his first wife and buried her body in the backyard of their residence in Mexico. Fearing for the safety of her infant, the injured woman managed to convince him to take their child to a nearby neighbor. This quick thinking provided a window of escape.
While Canchola stepped out of the residence, the victim stuffed a towel into her neck wound to staunch the bleeding and crawled out to the street. Passersby discovered her and immediately rendered aid, transporting her to medical professionals. Realizing the victim had escaped, Canchola stole her car and fled the scene.
The victim was first treated at the Tennova Medical Center in LaFollette before being transferred to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, Tennessee. Surgeons successfully removed the broken blade from her neck, and following extensive medical treatment, she has since recovered.
Matt Forsyth
In the immediate aftermath of the attack, the suspect seemed to completely vanish. Matt Forsyth, then Lieutenant, of the LaFollette Police Department reached out to the U.S. Marshals office in Knoxville for formal assistance. He is a long-time member of the U.S. Marshals Smoky Mountains Fugitive Task Force (SMFTF).
The stolen vehicle was never located and investigators faced a severe lack of substantive leads. Because Canchola had stated during the assault that he intended to kill the victim and then commit suicide, authorities openly wondered if the fugitive was already dead.
On January 15, 2025, Forsyth was promoted to Chief of the LaFollette Police Department. He vowed to keep the case active and exhaust every available resource to bring Canchola to justice. Through collaborative efforts with international authorities, investigators confirmed that the fugitive was indeed actively wanted by Mexican officials for the murder of his ex-wife, validating the confession he made during the Tennessee assault.
Despite months without progress, Deputy U.S. Marshals in Knoxville continued to track down every minor piece of information. Their persistence paid off when a breakthrough finally tracked Canchola’s trail to Indianapolis.
Surveillance and Apprehension
The investigation revealed that Canchola was living under an assumed identity, residing in a local apartment and working at Desi Chowrasha, an Indian restaurant located at 3838 E. 82nd Street in Indianapolis. Personnel from the U.S. Marshals Service Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force (GLRFTF) established surveillance outside the establishment.
After confirming that Canchola was inside working, law enforcement officers approached the building. He attempted to evade capture by fleeing on foot but he was quickly overtaken and handcuffed by the task force. Though he initially presented a fraudulent identification card to officers, he later confessed to his true identity.
Current Status and Extradition
Canchola is currently booked into the Marion County Jail in Indianapolis, where he remains held without bond. He faces extradition back to Campbell County, Tennessee to formally answer to the charge of attempted first-degree murder.
Because Canchola is present in the U.S. illegally, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has officially lodged an immigration detainer against him. Furthermore, federal authorities have formally notified Mexican law enforcement of his capture to ensure he eventually faces justice for the homicide charges pending in his home country.
CONAN Daily 